Portland’s Chamber of Commerce welcomed Dash of Dez to its new location at 104 E. McGlothlin Street on Nov. 5, as store owner Dezaree Henson cut the red ribbon to the storefront.
Henson told The Sun all about the inspiration behind the boutique, saying, “I have a childhood friend named Katy… I’m talking we have gone through so much together from skating rink days, to selling crunchy makeup, to those ‘It Works’ wraps. If there was a way to make money, we were gonna try it! So fast forward to 2022 when Katy opened her own boutique called Wisteria Hill Boutique based out of Manchester. Well, when she needed a model, I decided to drive up there and model some of her new items that she had been advertising for! She made this whole boutique thing look so easy… so I just knew I was gonna be able to do the same. And boom! Here we are.”
Henson described the store’s name as well, stating, “Dash of Dez is a name that I have used over the years. Starting all the way back in 2014… I’d say any DIY craft job at the house, bam… dash of Dez! An interior decorating job? Bam! Dash of Dez!”
When asked why locate in Portland, Henson said, “I moved to Portland back in 2019 to be closer to Sumner County due to another job that I had, and Portland has been so good to me! The people here have been so welcoming, loving and generous, so why not Portland?”
Leading on further, she said, “I’d say opening a boutique in a small town, you just have all the familiar faces. Even if they’re not coming in to shop, they are still coming in just to pop their little cute faces in just to say hi, bring you a drink, or even just let their kids run around the store! When you have a small business in a small town, it’s more like family than a business.”
Henson added that without the support of her family, who “no matter what, is always down for the ride and supporting me ten toes down,” none of this would be possible.
Henson originally planned for Dash of Dez were originally to be on Main Street here in Portland but had closed down with hopes of opening up in downtown Nashville. But before that could take place, she was diagnosed with a pituitary brain tumor and had brain surgery in July, never getting to open up in Nashville.
But eventually, everything fell back into place for the new location.
Henson described her brain surgery, saying, “They went through my nose, and altogether it was about a four- to five-hour surgery. After that, I was in the ICU for five days. Believe it or not, the hardest part about the whole entire surgery was seriously the catheter because I got something called insipidus diabetes during that time.”
Henson also wanted to note the support of friend Donna at Graphic Obsessions, stating that, “Donna truly supports each and every one of us in any and everything that we do, no matter what it is. Every single time I go into Miss Donna’s, she has a teacup sitting up at the top of her register, and I want you to know that for my grand opening she bought me my very own teacup! She truly loves me and my family for who we are.”
Henson described her long-term vision for Dash of Dez, saying, “I hope one day my daughter will take it over and let the name and boutique live on,” further and lastly stating, “It’s a piece of my heart. It’s who I am. When you walk into Dash of Dez you are going to feel welcomed, loved, catered to, a friendly environment, and most definitely greeted with a smile. I would never want anyone to walk into my small business and feel unwelcome. There’s too much of that going around, and I would hate for anyone to feel as if their purchase wasn’t worthy or even them just stepping foot in my store. I’m greatly appreciative of each and every person that even takes a moment to walk through my doors. I thrive on making others feel welcomed.”
Dash of Dez store hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday and Monday. Be sure to check out Dash of Dez on Facebook and in-store for all the latest and hottest trends.